Videos show suspect in school shooting playing with guns

The sign for Freeman High School in Rockford is seen outside the campus Wednesday. Authorities say one student was killed and three others were injured in a shooting at the school. A suspect was taken into custody. (AP Photo/Nicholas K. Geranios).

Cars and emergency vehicles are seen in front of Freeman High School in Rockford on Wednesda. Authorities say a shooter opened fire at the school. A suspect was apprehended. (AP Photo/Nicholas K. Geranios)

Parents gather in the parking lot behind Freeman High School in Rockford to wait for their kids, after a deadly shooting at the high school Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2017. (Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review via AP)

People hurry toward Freeman High School in Rockford on Wednesday. Parents rushed to the area after a deadly shooting at the school. (AP Photo/Nicholas K. Geranios)

Michael Harper, 15, a sophomore at Freeman High School, speaks to reporters Wednesday in Rockfort. Authorities say a shooter opened fire at the school, killing one and wounding three. The suspect was in custody. (AP Photos/Nicholas K. Geranios)

People gather outside of Freeman High School after reports of a shooting at the school in Rockford on Wednesday. (KHQ via AP)

Ambulances line up in the emergency area of Sacred Heart Hospital following reports of a shooting at Freeman High School on Wednesday in Rockford. A shooter opened fire at a the high school, south of Spokane, killing one student, injuring three others. The injured victims were taken to a hospital and expected to survive. Authorities say the suspect was in custody. (Kathy Plonka/The Spokesman-Review via AP)

By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS, Associated Press

Published: September 14, 2017, 9:18 AM

ROCKFORD — The student accused of shooting a classmate to death at a Washington state high school and wounding three others had posted videos online showing him playing with guns, including one where he pretends to hunt for a drug dealer.

In one, the suspect and a friend display several guns, including what appear to be airsoft weapons and one actual rifle, and act out a scenario where they search for an imaginary neighborhood drug dealer.

Another student described the suspect as obsessed with previous school shootings.

He was set to make his first appearance in juvenile court in Spokane on Thursday, a day after authorities say he opened fire in a hallway, killing one student and wounding three others before a custodian stopped him.

Witnesses described a panicked scene when shots rang out Wednesday, with bullets hitting the ceiling and students screaming and running down the hallway.

Armed with a pistol and rifle, classmates say the shooter’s face “was passive” when he tried to fire a weapon. It jammed, and another boy confronted him.

“He went to his next weapon,” Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich said. “A student walked up to him, engaged him, and that student was shot. That student did not survive.”

A custodian stopped the shooter, a heroic act the sheriff said prevented more bloodshed. The wounded victims were expected to survive.

Authorities didn’t release the suspect’s identity or a possible motive. The victims also were not named.

Besides the videos showing guns, the suspect had brought notes earlier in the school year, saying he was going to do “something stupid” and might get killed or jailed, according to classmate Michael Harper.

Some students alerted counselors, the 15-year-old sophomore told The Associated Press, but it wasn’t clear what school officials did in response. Calls to the school were not returned.

Harper said the shooter had many friends, calling him “nice and funny and weird” and a huge fan of the TV show “Breaking Bad.” He also said the suspect focused on other school shootings.

“He watched a lot of school shooting documentaries,” Harper said.

Luis Prito, an assistant football coach at Freeman High, called the shooting devastating.

“This is a real close-knit community,” he said of the town of about 500 people near the Idaho border.